Megliola: The time is now for Bradley Jr. to make the Red Sox

The Red Sox left fielder on Opening Day should be Jackie Bradley Jr. There are reasons, far beyond the idea that he’s the team’s latest phenom. Sometimes that’s the reason not to rush a player to the big leagues. That’s not the case with Bradley. This doesn’t seem like a rush job.

By Lenny Megliola/Special to the News

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Lenny Megliola/Special to the News

Posted Mar. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 27, 2013 at 10:21 AM

By Lenny Megliola/Special to the News

Posted Mar. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 27, 2013 at 10:21 AM

» Social News

The Red Sox left fielder on Opening Day should be Jackie Bradley Jr.

There are reasons, far beyond the idea that he’s the team’s latest phenom. Sometimes that’s the reason not to rush a player to the big leagues.

That’s not the case with Bradley. This doesn’t seem like a rush job. True, many phenoms who have been the buzz throughout spring training have started the season in the minors. The Red Sox have that option with Bradley. They shouldn’t use it.

Bradley’s no kid, baseball-wise. He’ll be 23 April 19. There’s an innocence and maturity about him at the same time. He’s articulate and unafraid. He knows he can play. All right, nobody knows for certain if he can hit big-league pitching when it really matters. The Red Sox could say, "Let’s see how he hits in Triple-A," and go from there.

Here’s a better idea. Let’s see how he does against the Yankees, Blue Jays and Orioles pitchers in the first two weeks of the season, and see where it goes.

Here’s the thing. If he starts out 3-for-31 or something ugly like that, then send him to Pawtucket. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Bradley doesn’t seem like a guy who’d be crushed easily. He’s levelheaded, realistic. He’s good and he knows it, and it doesn’t come across as cockiness. Besides, he knows he’d be back.

Memo to Ben Cherington and the decision-makers: forget about controlling Bradley’s contract rights until 2019. If he’s the real deal, you’ll want to pay him down the road anyway. Granted, Jacoby Ellsbury might be a test case for that. Anyway, the John Henry group might not even own the Red Sox seven years down the road.

Forget Pawtucket for now. Keep Bradley. See how he does. He’s already a better outfielder than Jonny Gomes, even though Bradley’s natural position is center field. He’s got the best arm of the outfielders. Bradley will have to hit to stick. He’s not meant to be a fourth outfielder or defensive replacement. He’s got to drive the ball. It’s that simple. If it’s too hard for him, he can play with the PawSox until his stroke comes around, or an outfielder gets injured.

The Bradley decision should be only about the reach of his ability. Let him run with it, show us what he’s made of. He was Boston’s first pick (40th overall) in the 2011 first-year player draft. Obviously, they had big plans for him. Nobody knew he was going to tear up spring training like this. Otherwise either Gomes or Shane Victorino might not be here. The Red Sox should give Bradley a couple of weeks into the season to smell the coffee, see what he can do. No tragedy if he fails.

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"I had a chance to see him three years before we signed him," said Quincy Boyd, who scouts the Carolinas for the Red Sox. "Twenty-nine other teams had a chance to get him. We were lucky. We didn’t think we’d have a shot to get him in a Red Sox uniform."

Well they did, and Bradley’s making a case that his time is now.

Besides the way he’s hit, Bradley has handled himself admirably in spring training. He’s at ease with the media. He answers in full sentences that are thought out. His personality is appealing. He’ll have 37,000 people pulling for him at Fenway Park, or at least until the sellout streak ends.

The Red Sox might not start Bradley against certain tough left-handers. Fine. Just keep him in the lineup after that. If he’s going to be an every day player, the pitcher shouldn’t matter. Give him a chance to keep the job.

It’s a Win-Win situation. If Bradley’s all he’s cracked up to be, it’s a Win. If he’s not, it’s not a loss. It’s a blip of a setback. He’ll be back.

"He’s a great kid on and off the field," said Boyd. "If I had a daughter, this is the kid I’d like her to bring home."

The Red Sox should bring Jackie Bradley Jr. home to Fenway. As far as his love life, he’s on his own.